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READY REFERENCE CIRCULAR ON 
THE RECLASSIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE 


Instructions and Suggestions 


TO 

Departmental Central 
Committees and Surgommittees 


ISSUED BY y 

THE CONGRESSIONAL JOINT COMMISSION • 
ON RECLASSIFICATION OF SALARIES 

ANDRIEUS A. JONES, New Mexico, Chairman 
CHARLES B. HENDERSON, Nevada, Vice Chairman 
SELDEN P. SPENCER, Missouri 
COURTNEY W. HAMLIN, Missouri 
HENRY ALLEN COOPER, Wisconsin 
EDWARD KEATING, Colorado 




For the Assistance of the Commission’s Representatives in the Departments and 
Independent Establishments, in Distributing and Collecting the 
Questionnaire Cards, and in Replying to Queries on 
. the Questionnaire from Employees and 

Supervisory Officials 


Offices of the Commission - 8th Wing, Building D, 4th Street and Missouri Avenue 
Telephone - Main 6400, Branches 502 and 504 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1919 










. 

(HAY 28 ^919 








^ I. DISTRIBUTION AND COLLECTION OF QUESTIONNAIRE CARDS 
AND THE COMMISSION’S CIRCULAR LETTER ON “ HOW TO FILL 
OUT THE CLASSIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE.” 

(1) Members of the central committees and the subcommittees 
representing the commission in the various departments and inde¬ 
pendent establishments are charged with the distribution and collec¬ 
tion of the classification questionnaire cards, together with copies of 
the commission’s circular letter on “ How to fill out the classification 
questionnaire.” 

(2) Thursday, May 15, is the day set for the distribution of these 
questionnaire cards and letters to all civilian employees of the Fed¬ 
eral Government and of the municipal government in the District of 
Columbia (-except the navy yard and the Postal Service). 

(3) Supplies of two kinds will be delivered direct to the depart¬ 
mental central committee members, as follows: 

{a) The questionnaire cards, each one duly labeled or addressed^ 
will be delivered to the departmental central committee members 
by the chief clerk of the department concerned on or before Wed¬ 
nesday afternoon. May 14. The cards will be done up in bundles^ 
by organization units, and each bundle will contain a copy of the 
position list, giving the names of all of the employees for the 
organization unit concerned. These position lists have numbered 
columns and are to be used by the central committees and subcom¬ 
mittees as check lists. Column 1 is to be used for checking the 
distribution. 

(5) Copies of the commission’s letter on “How to fill out the 
classification questionnaire” will be delivered direct from the 
Government Printing Office or the offices of the commission to the 
members of the departmental central committee, in care of the 
chief clerk’s office, on Wednesday, May 14. 

(4) It will be necessary for the departmental central committee 
to count out the required number of copies of the circular letter for 
the various organization units in its department or independent 
establishment, and to tie them up in bundles ready for the use of the 
subcommittees. 

(5) The departmental central committee should hold a meeting 
of its subcommittees on Wednesday afternoon or evening, and at the 
very latest on Thursday morning, to make arrangements and to 
perfect its plan for the distribution of the questionnaire cards and 
the circular letters. 

117550—19 


(3) 


4 


(6) Each employee’s own questionnaire card, duly labeled or ad¬ 
dressed with his name and pay-roll title, together with a copy of the 
commission’s circular letter, should be handed to him by a subcom¬ 
mittee. It will be desirable for members of the subcommittees to 
work in pairs in making this distribution. 

(T) During the three days from Thursday, May 15, until Satur¬ 
day, May IT—on which date each employee is to turn over his ques¬ 
tionnaire, signed at the bottom of the first page and with the first 
twenty-two questions duly filled out, to his immediate superior—the 
departmental central committee and subcommittees will be called 
on to serve as centers of information and to answer many queries 
from employees and supervisory officials. In the second section of 
this circular the committees will find information that will help them 
give correct and uniform answers. 

(8) The names of the members of the departmental central commit¬ 
tee and subcommittees should be posted on the bulletin board or 
boards in the bureau, division, or’ subdivision concerned.. 

(9) In case the members of a subcommittee are in doubt about 
correct answers they should confer with their central committee, 
members. 

(10) In case of doubt on the part of the central committees their 
members are requested to call Main 6400, branch 504, where the com¬ 
mission or its staff will reply to inquiries. 

(11) In case an employee is temporarily absent, the subcommittee 
is to attach a memorandum to the employee’s questionnaire card and 
return it to the departmental central committee, and to make a 
notation “A” in column 1 of the position list used as a check list. 
In case the employee has died, resigned, been transferred, or for 
other reason been permanently dropped from the pay roll, a memo¬ 
randum of the fact is to be attached to his questionnaire card, a 
notation “ D ” made in column 1 of the position list, and an explana¬ 
tory entry made in columns 6 to 10. This procedure applies both in 
distribution and in collection. 

(12) On Friday, May 23, each departmental central committee, 
through its subcommittees, is requested to collect the filled-out ques¬ 
tionnaire cards from the employees in its department and to arrange 
to have them delivered to the offices of the commission. Column 3 
of the position list is to be used in checking the collection of the 
questionnaire cards. 

(13) Following is the complete schedule for labeling, distributing, 
and filling out questionnaire cards from May 14 to May 24, 1919: 

Wednesday, May 1 ^.—By this date chief clerks to have all labeled question¬ 
naires in hands of the commission’s departmental central committees, in 
bundles, together with check lists, ready for distribution by the central com¬ 
mittees through the subcommittees. 


i) 

Thursday, May 15 (pay day). — Distribution of labeled questionnaire cards to 
all employees by departmental central committees tbrough the subcommittees. 

Saturday, May 17. —On or before closing time every employee to turn in his 
filled-out questionnaire card to his immediate superior. 

Tuesday, May 20. —Immediate superior to turn over to bureau or division 
•chief the questionnaire cards in his organization unit. 

Thursday, May 22. —By this date immediate superior to get all questionnaire 
cards back from division or bureau chief, properly signed, and turn them back 
to the respective employees. 

Friday, May 23. —Departmental central committees, through subcommittees, 
to collect all questionnaire cards from employees. 

Saturday, May 21/. —Departmental central committees to deliver , all ques¬ 
tionnaire cards to the oliice of the director of the commission’s staff, room 
D 8242, Building D, Fourth Street and Missouri Avenue, the filled-out cards to 
be in bundles, by organization units and departments, with check lists inclosed. 

II. REPLIES TO QUERIES ON THE QUESTIONNAIRE. 

A ready reference guide telling how to answer specific questions on 
the questionnaire has been prepared by the commission for the assist¬ 
ance of the departmental committees and subcommittees. This ref¬ 
erence guide, with the information arranged according to question 
numbers on the questionnaire card, is as follows: 

Question 1. By what occupation name, or title, is your position usu¬ 
ally referred to ? 

Give the local or departmental name for the position, such as file clerk, 
appointment clerk, timekeeper, carpenter foreman, etc. Do not give the civil- 
service title or pay-roll title unless it is ordinarily used in referring to your 
position. 

Question 2 (c). Telephone No.-. Branch-. 

Do not give your home telephone number. Give the number of the nearest 
telephone at your i)]ace of work. 

Question 3. Who is your immediate superior? 

Give the name and title of the person who supervises and is responsible for 
your work, and from whom you ordinarily receive instructions in connection 
with its performance. 

Question 4. What work do you actually perform in your position? 

IMake your answer so plain that anyone reading it may have an accurate 
picture of the wmi’k you are actually performing. The description of the em¬ 
ployment may be made in part by a general statement of the nature of the 
w’ork, but it should always include specific examples. For instance, a graduate 
nurse in describing her work ought to specify that she takes and records tem¬ 
peratures, administers prescribed medicines, changes dressings, makes beds, 
and performs other similar tasks. The columns showing the days per month, 
hours per day, and percentage of total time should be used whenever possible, 
especially in describing positions embracing several different kinds of tasks. 
For some kinds of work they will manifestly not apply. In other cases it will 
not be necessary to use all three of the columns. 




G 


Question 5. Do you hold any other Government position? 

This question is intended for employees working on two shifts and holding 
two positions, or for some holding two or more positions none of which alone 
requires full-time service. 

Question 6. What is your present rate of pay, exclusive of bonus ? 

Enter the rate of pay per month, per day, or per hour. Cross out such of the 
words “ per month, per day, or per hour,” as do not apply. If your salary is 
paid on an annual basis, divide it by 12 and enter the monthly rate. In every 
case the annual pay should be entered under 6 (b). After “6 (c). Bonus?” 
the annual bonus should be entered. 

Question 7. Are you paid for overtime work ? 

This question refers only to cash payment and not to compensatory leave. 

Question 8. Do you receive any remuneration or allowances in addi¬ 
tion to your salary ? 

The question is intended especially for the use of employees in institutions 
or elsewhere who receive special allowances in addition to their salary.. For 
example, an attendant in a hospital may receive board and lodging, etc. It does 
not refer to traveling expense while absent from Washington on official busi¬ 
ness, but does include per diem living allowances for employees residing in the 
District of Columbia. 

Question 10. What supplies, uniform, or equipment, if any, are you 
required to furnish at your own expense ? 

In some instances employees may be required to furnish certain equipment. 
For example, it may be that a teamster is hired at a rate which includes the 
use of a horse and wagon; a messenger may furnish a bicycle, or a carpenter 
his tools. 

Question 11. What are your regular working hours? 

This does not refer to the standard hours as fixed by the department, but the 
actual hours, not including overtime, during which an employee is required to 
be on duty. 

Question 11 (e). Leave per year: (1)Annual-. (2) Sick-. 

Here should be entered the amount of annual and sick leave permissible under 
the departmental regulations. 

Question 12. Do you work overtime ? 

Overtime should be estimated on the basis of the employee’s experience in his 
present position. 

Question 13. Do you work full time or part time in this position? 

This question does not ask whether an employee puts in all of the daily time 
expected of him or whether he is conscientiously performing his duty. It is 
intended for the use of employees who are hired for part-time service only. 
Laborers may be employed during the summer only. Other positions may require 
only a few hours of service a day or perhaps a few days per month. 

Question 14. Are you responsible for the direction or supervision of 
the work of others ? 

All employees who are responsible for the work of others and who give instruc¬ 
tions to subordinates should answer “ yes ” to this question. If the supervision 
is joint or part time, this fact should be noted. 




i 


Question 15. If so, how many? 

Here should be entered the approximate total number of employees for whose 
work you are responsible. For example, a bureau chief should give the number 
of the employees in the bureau, even though many of them report through 
branch heads. 

Question 21. How long altogether have you been in the civilian 
employ of the United States Government or of the municipality of 
the District of Columbia? 

The answer to this question should not include any time spent outside of the 
service. Such time should be carefully deducted. 

Question 23. Statement of work by immediate superior. 

The commission desires to obtain the best possible information concerning 
the work attached to the position in question. If the immediate superior can 
not in any way, either by supplementing the statement of the employee or by 
making a statement in more definite language, improve on the employee’s 
statement, he may state that he concurs in the statement made in answer to 
question 4. ^ 

Question 26. Qualifications of applicants for the position. 

The commission does not here wish to be told what qualifications the Civil 
Service Commission has prescribed for the position in question, or what may be 
the qualifications of the present incumbent of the position. It wishes to know 
what qualifications, in the opinion of the immediate superior, ought to be set up 
for future applicants for the pos-ition. This information should be definitely 
stated, such as, for example, “ High-school education; two years of experience 
as a stenographer; good judgment; tact; keen perception.” 

o 



























